Episode #62
Leaving the Office Job For the Jiu-Jitsu Mats | A Conversation with Beatrice Jin
"My job is to teach jujitsu, not to train jujitsu... But my dream is to train jujitsu." Beatrice Jin is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who teaches, competes, and helps run Kogaion Academy in Arlington, Virginia. She found BJJ eight years ago, by accident, after moving to Washington, DC for an internship with plans to become a journalist. She does not consider herself an intuitive grappler, and that has shaped how she learns: through systems, high volumes of positional sparring, and deliberate work on the parts of the game that do not come naturally. On competition, she talks about nerves that have not changed since purple belt, and about what the tournaments where she performs well have in common. She walks through the decision to leave her office job for jiu-jitsu, which she calls the hardest of her life, and how she balances her own training with teaching. The conversation turns to competitive women's jiu-jitsu in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia region, where a weekly women's open mat began with three purple belts, and to what happens when rivals decide to train together. For newcomers of any age, she sets out the minimum commitment she asks of new students, and what competition shows a coach that the training room cannot. Also in the conversation: her takeaways from ADCC, why she trains both gi and nogi, and a lightning round. GUEST Beatrice Jin Kogaion Academy, Arlington, Virginia https://www.kogaionacademy.com/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/@berimbozo About Grappling Monthly Grappling Monthly is an independent editorial media brand covering the culture, people, and business of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and the grappling arts. Based in Los Angeles, the brand produces in-depth conversations with the coaches, gym owners, competitors, and practitioners shaping the sport. The Grappling Monthly Podcast is the flagship property. A weekly long-form interview series hosted by Sébastien Maniatopoulos, a BJJ black belt establishing roots in the Southern California grappling community. The brand's editorial focus is on the human stories behind the art: how academies are built, how practitioners evolve, how the culture of jiu-jitsu intersects with identity, business, and community. Grappling Monthly publishes across YouTube, Instagram, Substack, and major podcast platforms. Subscribe and turn on notifications. IG: www.instagram.com/@grapplingmonthly For sponsorships and collaborations: grapplingmonthly@gmail.com
